An 8-week course of treatment with sofosbuvir/ledipasvir (Harvoni) is just as effective as a 12-week course for people with hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 1 without cirrhosis, including those with HIV/HCV coinfection, and could significantly reduce the cost of treatment if it was prescribed more widely, according to several large real-life cohort studies presented the 2016 AASLD Liver Meeting last month in Boston.

A short course of sofosbuvir/ledipasvir (Harvoni) taken for 6 weeks cured 100% of HIV-negative people with genotype 1 acute hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, including those with high viral loads, according to study results presented at the 2016 AASLD Liver Meeting this month in Boston.

Generic sofosbuvir-based combinations for hepatitis C may not perform as well as branded sofosbuvir-containing regimens, according to a study conducted in Qatar and presented at the recent 2016 AASLD Liver Meeting. People treated with generics were less likely to be cured and more likely to experience adverse events compared to people who received branded drugs. But the investigators speculate that the generics may have underperformed because many people treated were with suboptimal regimens, and believe this deserves further research.

Research carried out by researchers at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York found that non-adherence was the strongest risk factor for treatment failure in people taking sofosbuvir/ledipasvir (Harvoni) to treat hepatitis C. The main reasons cited for non-adherence were failing to take medication as prescribed and hospitalization, according to a report at the 2016 AASLD Liver Meeting in Boston earlier this month.

A 2-drug pangenotypic regimen combining AbbVie's glecaprevir and pibrentasvir demonstrated a high sustained response rate for chronic hepatitis C patients with severe kidney impairment, according to results from the EXPEDITION-4 study presented at the 2016 AASLD Liver Meeting last month in Boston.

Curing hepatitis C infection moderately reduces portal hypertension, but has less impact for people with more severe liver stiffness due to fibrosis, Spanish researchers reported at the 2016 AASLD Liver Meeting this month in Boston.

People who achieved sustained virological response to interferon-based hepatitis C treatment experienced significantly less decline in kidney function, especially if they had liver cirrhosis, according to study findings presented at the 2016 AASLD Liver Meeting last month in Boston.

The prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection among HIV-positive men who have sex with men in San Diego has increased over the past 15 years, especially among men who do not inject drugs but use methamphetamine, according to a study presented at the 2016 AASLD Liver Meeting this month in Boston. Another study by the same research team found that post-treatment reinfection is also a concern in this population.